Today’s Shows

Crash Kings and Nico Vega Tomorrow Night (Plus a Givewaway)

July 30th, 2013

Los Angeles rock trio Crash Kings—brothers Tony (vocals and keys) and Mike Beliveau (bass) and Tom Roslak (drums)—burst onto the scene with their 2009 self-titled album, notable for its use of distortion effects and a clavinet tricked out with a whammy bar, while filling in the Venn diagram overlap of classic rock and piano pop. Last month, Crash Kings (above, performing “Six Foot Tall” on AXS TV) released their second album, Dark of the Daylight (stream it below), which finds them mining the same interesting territory.

Nico Vega—Aja Volkman (vocals), Dan Epand (drums), Rich Koehler (guitar) and Jamila Weaver (bass)—also found success in 2009, thanks in party to appearing on Last Call with Carson Daly. The quartet’s music is filled with “infectious riffs” and a “New Wave– inspired sound that reveals honed pop chops,” according to Rolling Stone. That becomes obvious when listening to their most recent EP, Fury Oh Fury (stream it below), watching them perform (above, doing “Fury Oh Fury” in studio for 91X FM) or seeing them live, with Crash Kings, tomorrow night at The Bowery Ballroom.